A resident summer camp requires many different staff positions to run successfully. The counselors and specialists have the primary responsibility of caring for the children, while our various support staff are critical to the overall efficiency of the camp operation. Much like a city, the areas of food service, maintenance, medical, and office administration make an enormous impact on the camp experience. Our support staff is part of the staff family.
Some support staff members are full-time employees of Pinemere; others are summer help hired to assist in needed areas. There are various levels of experience represented on our staff, and we depend on all of these individuals for a positive summer.
Food Service
Our support staff in this area includes our food service supervisor, cooks, and kitchen staff. Our cooks and kitchen workers are responsible for the preparation of all meals at camp. Our campers and counselors are served breakfast, lunch, and dinner together in our dining hall, which means that the kitchen prepares almost 800 meals in total each day. Kitchen staff works in food prep, cooking, and cleaning, all within the framework of our Kosher food service. Most kitchen workers will rotate between jobs within the kitchen, although certain staff will be hired for specific duties. The kitchen staff rises early in the morning to get ready for breakfast, and their day usually finishes within an hour or so after dinner.
Our CITs, with assistance from the kitchen staff, are responsible for setting, serving and clearing during lunch and dinner each day (counselors are responsible for serving breakfast). The CITs report to work before meals in order to setup, and will remain until their areas are clean and checked. During the summer, counselors and campers also play an active role in the mealtime responsibilities.
Housekeeping
This position is responsible for attending to the cleanliness of the camp’s facilities and bunks, as well as managing our in-camp and out-of-camp laundry services. There is usually one housekeeper who will rotate throughout the camp each day to carry out general cleaning.
Maintenance, Drivers & Security
These positions are responsible for attending to the camp’s grounds and facilities. With the assistance of our facilities supervisor, the maintenance workers make repairs around camp, handle upkeep and appearance of the area, work on building projects, and perform other similar duties. One or two staff will be designated as primary camp drivers who will perform errands, transport campers and so on, while others may be assigned part-time driving responsibilities. These staff will always be included with the maintenance roster. The security staff members will be responsible for keeping the camp quiet and safe after curfew until the morning. They may also help with driving and maintenance when needed.
Medical Staff
Our camp’s medical staff carries a tremendous load throughout the summer. Our qualified medical workers attend to the physical well-being and care of the campers and staff. Usually including two full-time nurses and at least one assistant, the Health Center sees every individual in need of medical attention while at camp. These staff members are required to carry the appropriate certifications and licenses where applicable, and their responsibilities vary from day to day.
Office Staff
The camp office is the brain-center of our summer camp. Coordinating all of the camp’s communication, materials, scheduling and other needs makes the office a very demanding place. We have two or three adult office staff as full-time managers and summer help. The summer staff will attend to our telephone switchboard, mail, correspondence, computer work, and publication jobs. The office workers keep a more traditional schedule, but will be required to work late to cover the switchboard on a rotating basis, and other hours as needed.
